It's A Dog's Life On The Road

[ Reader Travel ] 7200km and 17 Campsites in 30 Days.

- Mark & Denise Jarvis

Our plan was to spend four weeks travelling around the country to discover as many campsites as possible that are suitable for more than just one night’s stay.

Our small, homebuilt Fiat Ducato motorhome (see Caravan & Outdoor Life, September 2016) ticked all the right boxes – but what about our little dog? We had made short trips with her before, but how easy would it be for us to find campsites that would accept her, without booking ahead?

We set off on a chilly day in July and spent our first night at the very pleasant Rondeberg Resort near Clanwilliam. We were in luck with the weather; it was a lovely mild evening, suitable for our first braai of the trip.

After popping in at Klawer Wine Cellar to stock up with a couple of bottles of something sweet for the evenings ahead, we headed to Springbok Caravan Park, which we knew from past experience would be perfect for overnighting.

The following day, we travelled a longer distance and discovered the Red Sands Country Lodge in the hills above Kuruman.

This resort was a lovely surprise, and each campsite had a private wash-up/braai area with added ablutions for a few extra bucks. So far, so good!

We gradually realised that there was a shortage of caravan parks along our chosen route, and started worrying about finding somewhere suitable before reaching Gauteng.

However, our luck held, and before too long we found Amigos Caravan Park at Rietvlei Dam, near Ventersdorp. Apart from a couple of fishermen at the other end of the resort, we had it all to ourselves.

Being keen bird watchers, we camped close to the dam, spending hours with binoculars in hand.